Over the serve clock, a rift appeared. Fritz denounced the concept as “ignorant,” claiming it unfairly penalizes players with injury histories, while Gauff demanded a shorter clock to “stop the boring gamesmanship.” With Fritz allegedly accusing Gauff of promoting a “TV-friendly agenda” that endangers athletes’ health, the public altercation reveals a broader gap between the ATP and WTA. Because of…
USA stars Coco Gauff and Taylor Fritz have endured rollercoaster adventures at the 2026 United Cup so far.
Gauff and Fritz were the heroes of the United Cup in 2025, where they combined to help fire the USA to the title.
And Gauff won her United Cup opener this time around against Argentina to maintain her form at the event, but there was no such luck for Fritz.
However, the opposite played out against Spain in their second match, with Fritz winning his match as Gauff lost hers.
Which country do you think will win the United Cup?
stealthboxerPoland
boss_chaseGreat Britain.
marsh44United States
Coco Gauff and Taylor Fritz disagree over United Cup net light
The pair spoke to the media after their matches, where it was put to them: “The red light that illuminates on the net when the ball is out, is that an addition that you welcome, and can it clear up some confusion if there’s a noisy crowd and you’re not sure if a ball is in or out?”
Fritz replied: “I’m not the biggest fan of it, to be honest. I didn’t really notice it today. I think because of the sun out and the glare, it’s not, like, super bright.
“I think the match the other night when it’s, like, a night match and it’s very apparent, yeah, it was weird. I normally wouldn’t care at all. I think it’s good for the fans, but something about it just kind of bothered me.”
Gauff commented: “I didn’t really care. It didn’t bother me in either scenario. Christian [Harrison] and I were watching Taylor’s match with no volume, so it was kind of nice to see when it was out when we couldn’t hear.
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Coco Gauff and Taylor Fritz disagree over change to tennis that is ‘good for fans’
“Yeah, I mean, I would say it’s, like, accessible. I was thinking maybe they did it for deaf people or things like that, so I don’t know. But if it doesn’t bother the players, I wouldn’t mind it continuing.”
Fritz then added: “Yeah, it’s like I said, not my favorite thing ever, but if it’s better for the spectators, then I think that’s overall a good change.”
Pick your all-time dream United Cup squad!
peter.lynchWould love to see an Aussie all-star team… Hewitt, Court, Barty, Laver and Rafter to name a few!
liam.mcmillenSpain could have an all-timer team: Carlos Alcaraz, Rafael Nadal, Arantxa Sánchez Vicario, and Conchita Martínez!
camerondesc1Sampras, Agassi, Serena, Evert.
USA seeking third United Cup title in four years
Fritz has been suffering from injury in recent times, but his superb efforts against Spain’s Jaume Munar were crucial to the USA’s latest win.
Gauff recovered alongside Harrison to clinch doubles success, with the USA now into the United Cup quarterfinals, while Spain are out of the event.
The defending champions are currently chasing their third title in four years, having beaten Italy in the 2023 final and Poland last time out.
Another victory would be a superb achievement, while it would also be huge for the confidence of both Gauff and Fritz.